The WaPo had an interesting item over the weekend noting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s busy schedule of late. That makes sense — there’s a war in Iraq, the North Korean crisis is simmering to a boil, there’s a major transition underway at the United Nations, and there are ample challenges that require the attention of the nation’s chief diplomat.
Except, as it turns out, Rice isn’t busy because of her official responsibilities; she’s busy using her traditionally above-the-fray position for partisan ends.
Two weeks before crucial midterm elections that could tip the balance of power in Congress, Rice has been on a media blitz that appears aimed mainly at conservative media outlets, particularly radio talk shows. Secretary of state is traditionally a nonpartisan position, and Rice’s media itinerary differs sharply from the practice of her predecessors during election campaigns, according to State Department records.
Rice has given nine interviews on radio, starting with three appearances on Oct. 24 during “Radio Day,” when 42 radio hosts, most of them conservatives, were invited to the White House to spread the administration’s message to President Bush’s political base.
In the past two days, Rice has appeared on four radio shows, including that of Ingraham, a best-selling author for her books that attack liberal “elites”; Bill Cunningham, a Cincinnati conservative; and Glenn Beck, another conservative, who appears on nearly 200 stations.
Rice also appeared in the past week on CNBC’s “Kudlow and Company,” hosted by conservative economic commentator Lawrence Kudlow, and “Morning in America,” a radio show hosted by prominent Republican William Bennett.
Was this some kind of diplomatic endeavor, with Rice explaining complex foreign policy matters to the public? Not so much. She touted the president as a “visionary,” while being lavished with praise from far-right media personalities. Glenn Beck, for example, called her “one of the most remarkable people of our age” during one of these hard-hitting interviews.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the confluence of media spots with the election was “coincidental.” That McCormack has such a dry wit, doesn’t he?
Two points to consider here.
First, there is no precedent for these kinds of political activities.
In the 2002 midterm elections, Powell did just two spots — with National Public Radio and Ellen Ratner, who says she is “liberal and proud,” on Talk Radio News. In 2004, Powell appeared only on Bennett’s show and CNBC. Albright, who frequently said she had her “partisan instincts surgically removed” when she became secretary, did a couple of interviews on network television before the 2000 elections and none before the 1998 elections.
“The tradition for secretaries of state has been to stay out of partisan politics and to stay above the fray,” said Karl F. Inderfurth, director of the international affairs graduate program at George Washington University and assistant secretary of state under Albright. “They take office as the secretary of state of the United States of America, not of the Republican or Democratic party.”
Typical pre-9/11 thinking from the reality-based community.
Second, it’s a clear pattern for Rice — she’s always chosen partisan politics over her professional duties. Indeed, immediately before the 2004 election, Rice cleared her schedule to hit the campaign trail, which no National Security Aide had ever done before. Given the circumstances at the time, it showed bizarre judgment.
On the same day Rice gave a political speech in Ohio, U.S. military conducted operations against Zarqawi.
On the same day Rice gave a political speech in Ohio, Poland Announced it would be pulling troops from Iraq.
On the same day Rice gave a political speech in North Carolina, U.S. was accused of doling out hundreds of millions in unaccountable Iraqi projects.
On the same day Rice gave a political speech in Ohio, Europeans negotiated with Iran to end its nuclear program.
And now history is repeating itself, with Rice chatting up far-right talk-show hosts in the weeks leading up to the elections. The hackocracy lives.